Would anyone be interested in this?
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    With the SEP book just waiting on some final publishing details, how about organ accompaniment to the Parish Book of Chant?

    Sample attached (verse texts would be filled in...)

    Divine Mercy.pdf
    28K
  • donr
    Posts: 971
    Great Idea
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    An organ accompaniment book for a book of chant?
    No one will buy it!
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    great! I think layout, you might try experimenting with layout more like this for the verses, both for saving space and easier readability.

    http://www.ccwatershed.org/media/pdfs/13/12/02/16-24-40_0.pdf

    That is, unless you're planning on providing different harmonizations for each verse, or it doesn't fit well, in which case modeling the verse style after the chabanel psalms (sorta what you were doing already above) might be a good idea:

    http://www.ccwatershed.org/media/pdfs/11/11/23/12-48-19_0.pdf
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    I'm going to go counter-intuitive here, sorry if it doesn't sit well with some.
    If your organist has capabilities, s/he will be able to both negotiate the modes and the flexibility they provide, both by knowing modality from tonality, in any reciting/final situation, and then provide adequate to exquisite harmonic textures to couch the melodies. In that way, as singers repeat antiphons/verses, the accompaniment isn't fixed. That said, kudos to JMO for offering just such variable accompaniments for his Psalter. I haven't had the need to follow the SEP accomp. thread, and even if one needed to locate accompaniments for the PBC, that's easier on a per week basis for me, than having to assess the merits of an "official" accompaniment volume.
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    Ben,
    Both of those options are possible. This way would be similar to Chabanel once the text is filled in. The first option would be preferable, but I don't know if it would work out to use the same harmonizations for each, due to different word emphasis and verse lengths. The last measure of the two verses in the draft up there have a different number of harmonies, for example (the additional being imposed on the first verse because of the length of the line)

    melo,
    Nothing's "official." Just a ready-made resource. The intro I wrote for the SEP book has a bit about organists finding their own harmonies more desirable than those written. Its just a starting point, quick reference, etc.

    When I started using SEP in a parish I was reading from chord symbols sketched in over the neumes - and a lot of times didn't even have time to write something down before mass and wound up improvising harmonies on the spot. There's no delusion here that I'm unique in that ability. Not everybody needs a polished product off the shelf, I'm well aware. I've sketched many a chord chart on a nightclub napkin between tunes.

    If there was a book I would have used it, though. I used NOH whenever latin chants were called for, although I could have read the chant and improvised my own. I've used a lot of Ostrowski's materials - with a lot of markings of my own in them.
    To me, it's all just a guide, a suggestion, something to start with. And at 7:30am, or at the 4th mass of the day, sometimes its nice to just read off the page.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Melo, of course, if you're able to improvise changing accompaniments, there's no need to be held down by a book. But for many people, especially organists who aren't as advanced, having a bound book available is a great resource.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    I know this is rank heresy to some, but I am not that big a fan of unaccompanied singing. Yeah, human voice greatest instrument, blah blah - I've heard it before. The voice is a unique instrument that can convey text, but that may be its only advantage over other instruments. It certainly isn't the most beautiful or pleasant instrument to have to listen to for extended periods of time.

    Given that, and that I don't have the time to develop accompaniments - far too busy, you know - I would buy an accompaniment book such as Ryand proposes. The lack of accompaniments has kept me from using PBC more. Love the NOH!
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Not meaning to nit-pick, but don't you mean Arlene's Parish Book of Psalms, there's nothing in English in the PBC.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    PBC is Latin but I find it extremely difficult to accompany square notes. I haven't looked at the Parish Book of Psalms, but have wondered if By Flowing Waters has an accompaniment - maybe it does but I haven't seen it. It is easier and faster to use works that are already written out than deal with something that only has a melody line. Given a choice between the two, I will go for the works with accompaniment as a personal preference. If you heard my basses try to sing unison, you wouldn't wonder about my preference for an instrument to cover them with.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Gentlemen and Ladies, particularly Ryan- I meant no ill will towards those working on SEP accompaniments whatsoever, it's a grand need and endeavor! As I tend towards eclecticism, sometimes exoticism in harmonic concerns*, I'm thankful to encourage improvised accompaniments to all chanted pieces that are accompanied.
    *reference my setting of the ICEL Glory to God.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Good catch. I assume he means arlene's collection, though with it's wide use, PBC II wouldn't be a bad thing to do as well....
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    Oh, I forgot about BFW. I had the idea of doing something for that like ... a year ago. There was a thread here about it. Dr. Ford mentioned wanting some oversight on what was written, I posted an example to "bid in" on the project, but heard nothing back. :/

    RE: PBC, wouldn't all of that be covered in NOH? Maybe all that's needed there is a cross-reference source. Or maybe I'm wrong about what's in those collections.

    Anyway, I think if I take on another project after SEP, it will probably be PBP first. I'd love to do BFW in the future, with Dr. Ford's permission.
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